Folding slope grader for bulldozers



Feb. 25,. 1.969 R LAUNDER ETAL 3,429,380

FOLDING SLOPE GRADER FOR BULLDOZERS Filed Aug. '7, 1967 Shee'rI 2 of2 INVENTORS 'Fem/QE D. PE1/ELE@ 3,429,380 FOLDING SLUPE GRADER FOR BULLDOZERS Richard L. Lannder and Ernie L. Launder, Whittier, Calif. (both H & L Tooth Company, PJD. Box 430, Montebello, Calif. 90640), and France D. Peveler, Downey, Calif.; said Peveler assigner to said Richard L. Launder and Ernie L. Launder Filed Aug. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 658,878 U.S. Cl. 172-802 3 Claims Int. Cl. E02f 3/76 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A slope grader arranged for attachment at one end of a bulldozer blade and moveable between a `folded position along one side of a bulldozer, and a laterally directed extended position. The slope grader is also adjusted about a horizontal axis to change the angular position of the underside or scraping edge of the slope grader.

Background of invention This invention is an improvement of the Slope Grader for Bulldozers shown and described in an application for patent, Serial No. 541,829, led April l1, 1966.

The objects of the previous invention, as well as the present invention, include:

First, to provide a slope grader for bulldozers which is secured to the bulldozer blade so as to be both elevated and tilted therewith.

Second, to provide a slope grader having means for adjusting the angular position of the slope grading blade.

Third, to provide a slope grader which incorporates a novel panel which closes the space between the mold plate above the bulldozer blade and the mold plate above the slope grading blade irrespective of the adjustment of the slope grading blade.

Fourth, to provide a slope grader which comprises a hinge having a vertical axis and secured to a lateral Inargin of a bulldozer mold plate; a beam pivotally connected to the lower end of the hinge for movement about a horizontal axis; a grading blade and mold plate carried by the beam; a hydraulic thrust unit attached to the top of the hinge and to the extremity of the beam for changing the slope angle of the grading blade; an adjustable brace connected between the bulldozer chassis and the extremity of the beam for adjusting the beam grading blade and mold plate about the axis of the hinge; and a panel secured to the hinge and overlapping the mold plate to close the gap between the bulldozer mold plate and the grading blade mold plate.

The present invention includes the further object of providing a slope grader which, While retaining all the features of the previous slope grader, incorporates a novel means for connecting the slope grader to a bulldozer so that when the slope grader is not needed, it may be folded along side the bulldozer to permit use of the bulldozer for other operations without interference from the slope grader.

Description of drawings FIGURE 1 is a side view of a slope grader, shown in its folded position with the front portion of the bul1- dozer and tractor shown ragmentarily FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a slope grader in its folded position with the bulldozer and tractor shown frag mentarily.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the slope grader, corresponding to FIGURE 2, shown in its extended or 3,429,380 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 operating position, with adjacent portions of the bulldozer and tractor shown fragmentarily.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the slope grader, corresponding to FIGURE 1, showing the slope grader in its extended or operating position, with the bulldozer and tractor shown fragmentarily.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through 6 6 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

Specification The slope grader is intended to be mounted on a tractor 1 equipped With a bulldozer 2. The bulldozer includes a suitable frame which supports an essentially vertically disposed mold plate 3 having a scraping blade 4 along its lower margin. The backside of the bulldozer frame is connected by pivots 5 to a pair of forwardly extending thrust beams 6 which are in turn connected to the tractor by means not shown.

A hydraulically operated tilting unit 7 extends from the thrust beam 6 to the upper margin of the bulldozer frame for tilting the bulldozer frame about the axis of the pivots 5, The bulldozer trame is also connected to the tractor by a pair of elevator units 8. The tilting and elevator units are controlled by the tractor operator.

The slope grader is secured to the bulldozer frame and to the mold plate 3 by a hinge structure 9. The hinge structure includes a vbar 10 joined to the slope grader and provided With a set of vertically disposed hinge elements 11. A second set of hinge elements 12 extend from one laterial end of the mold plate 3. The hinge elements are joined by a pin 13.

T-he movable bar 10 may be in the form of a channel member and its lower extremity may form one element of a pivotal connection 14 at right angles to the pin 13; that is, parallel to the forward-rearward axis of the tractor. The pivotal connection 14 joins the bar 10 to a beam structure 15. The beam structure has a general congurationof an obtuse triangle with one apex located contiguous to one lower lateral corner of the scraping blade 4. This end of the scraping blade is provided with a laterally and downwardly extending side toe 16 which overlaps the adjacent apex of the beam structure 15 a short distance.

An elevating unit 17 is joined by a pivotal connection 18 to the upper extremity of the hinge structure 9 and is joined by a second pivotal connection 19 to the rearside of the beam structure 15 near its lateral extremity.

The lower margin or hypotenuse side of the beam structure 15 is provided With a downwardly and forwardly directed continuous scraper blade 20, more rfully disclosed in the previously mentioned copending application. Adjacent the bulldozer blade a short section 21 of the grading blade is separably removable to provide access set to the pivotal connection 14 and for purposes of replacement inasmuch as this end of the grading blade receives the most Wear.

The front side of the beam structure 15 forms a mold plate 22. The mold plate may be coextensive with the beam structure and thus is in the form of an obtuse triangle. The angular margin 23 extending upwardly from the pivotal connection 14 diverges from the hinge structure 9. Secured to the movable bar 10 of the hinge structure is a mold panel 24 in the form of a segment having an upper arcuate edge 25. The extremity of the mold panel extends behind the margin 23 of the mold plate 22. The lower end of the mold panel 23 is incorporated into the pivotal connection 14 so as to be retained contiguous to the backside of the mold plate 22. The upper extremity of the mold panel 24 is held in contiguous relation to the mold plate 22 by means of a retainer 26 welded to the mold plate 22 and overlying the arcuate upper edge 25 as shown best in FIGURE 3.

The structure thus far described is also disclosed in the aformentioned copending application, Serial No. 541,829, and further included a brace structure which held the slope grader permanently in a laterally extended position. The presence of the slope grader fixed in a laterally extended position severely limits the use of the bulldozer and tractor for other purposes, or moving the tractor to other locations. As a consequence, the slope grader must be removed when not in use. To remove or mount the slope grader in the eld requires the tractor to be driven to the side of hoisting equipment while hindered by the laterally projecting slope grader or to bring the hoisting equipment to the tractor; then, unless the slope grader is hauled away by other equipment, the slope grader is left in the ield which requires that the tractor return to the location of the slope grader when it is again needed.

The present invention solves this problem by permitting the slope grader to be folded alongside the tractor in such a manner that movement of the tractor is not impaired and many operations of the bulldozer may be performed without difficulty. This is accomplished by a disconnectable brace structure designated generally by 31 and a latch means designated generally by 32.

The disconnectable brace structure includes a tubular strut 33 and a bar 34 which telescopes into the strut and may be arranged to extend from the strut to different lengths by means of a bolt 35 tting any of a series of holes 36.

The extended end of the bar 34 is provided with the ball element 37 of a ball and socket joint. The ball element tits into a socket member 38 attached to the top side of the thrust beam 6 at the corresponding side of the trailer. The extended end of the strut 33 is also provided with a ball and socket joint which includes ball element 39 which is received in a socket member 40 secured to the upper margin of the slope grader beam 15 near its extended end. The ball joints have a range of movement to permit raising and lowering the extended end of the slope grader.

interposed in the strut 33, adjacent the ball element 39, is a separable connector 41 including a sleeve 42 which receives a short bar 43. A cross bolt 44 holds the parts of the connector together. Mounted on the backside of the bulldozer mold plate 3, adjacent the power unit 17 is a U-shaped saddle 45 which receives the sleeve 42 and the cross bolt 44.

The latch means 32 includes a perforated double bracket 46 mounted under the power unit 7, a perforated single bracket 47 extending from the bar 10 under the pivotal connection 18 between the elevating unit 17, and a connecting pin 4S.

Operation of the'slope grader is as follows:

The slope angle of the grading blade 27 may be adjusted by operation of the hydraulic operating unit 17. The degree of arcuate adjustment is dependent upon the mold panel 24 as it is essential that the adjacent margins of the mold panel and the mold plate overlap so that a continuous mold surface is presented extending from the tip of the scraper blade 20 to the bulldozer mold plate 3. It will be noted that the vertical depth of the mold plate 22 increases towards the bulldozer mold plate 3 and that the mold panel 24 also increases in vertical depth towards the mold plate 3. This is highly desirable for as the earth is removed, it tends to accumulate at the juncture of the slope grader and the bulldozer unit.

In addition to the angular adjustment afforded by the elevating unit 17, the slope grader is also adjusted in position by movement of the bulldozer; that is, the slope grader may be raised bodily or its upper margin may be tilted forward or backward. The resulting compound movements are made possible by the ball elements 37 and 39 and their socket members 38 and 40.

For some operations it is desirable that the slope grader be pivoted about to the axis of the hinge structure so as to extend forwardly or rearwardly with respect to the transverse plane of the bulldozer. This is not an adjustment which is required during the course of operation of the slope grader, therefore, this adjustment is accomplished by removing the bolt 35 and extending or reti-acting the bar 34.

When it is desired to fold the slope grader alongside the tractor to permit other uses of the tractor, the cross bolt 44 is removed from the separable connector 41 and used to fasten the sleeve 42 in the saddle 45. The slope grader is then rotated rearwardly, bringing the brackets 46 and 47 into registry to receive the pin 48, locking the slope grader to the bulldozer. The bulldozer may be raised or lowered and the tractor may be manipulated as desired without signicant interference from the slope grader.

The term tractor as herein used in intended to cover not only the type shown by any type or vehicel capable of supporting the slope grader; and, similarly, the term bulldozer is intended to cover any type of blade or scraper intended to push a body of earth.

While there has been described what is at present considered the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made therein, without departing from the essence of the invention and is intended to cover herein all such changes and alterations.

We claim:

1. A slope grader for a tractor having an essentially vertically disposed bulldozing unit at the forward end thereof capable of being raised and lowered as well as tilted, said slope grader comprising:

(a) a hinge structure secured to one lateral margin of said bulldozing unit and dening an axis essentially in the plane of said bulldozing unit;

(b) a generally triangular slope grading blade structure secured to said hinge structure for movement between a folded position lying alongside said tractor and a laterally extending position;

(c) a brace structure including a rearward pivotal connection joined to said tractor and a forward pivotal connection joined to said slope grading blade structure;

(d) a separable connector interposed in said brace stnucture;

(e) means for supporting the forward end of said brace structure, separate from said slope grading blade structure, on said tractor;

(f) and means for securing said slope grading blade structure in its folded position alongside said tractor.

2. A slope grader, as defined in claim 1, wherein:

(a) said supporting means for said brace structure includes a stirriup mounted on said bulldozing unit to receive the said brace structure.

3. A slope grader, as defined in claim 1, wherein:

(a) said blade structure securing means includes Imutually registerable brackets extending from said bulldozing unit and said grader blade structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ABRAHAM G. STONE, Pz'mmy Examiner. ALAN E. KOPECKI, Assistant Examiner. 

